“Christ has called us and equipped us to become new creations.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 26, 2025
by Mez Stead
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
When our nature-loving son was just old enough to talk, we started a tradition of raising caterpillars each Easter. It’s a fascinating project and one that demands little effort for an enormous return: beholding a jaw-dropping transformation that defies explanation. Each year, we eagerly watch the rather unattractive caterpillars eat their way to maturity. Then, in a blink and always when you’re not looking, they hang upside-down to form into chrysalises. Some days later, those tiny tombs will unfurl themselves to reveal the glorious, colorful wings of a new butterfly!
It is truly astounding, but there is one part of the process that is a bit unsavory. A caterpillar must first lose its head before it can become a chrysalis. Failing to do so (as we sadly once observed) means the caterpillar will never metamorphosize, because the new winged creation he is to become emerges with a brand-new head, fit with elegant antennae and a long tongue for sipping nectar. The butterfly has no need of the old leaf-chomping head.
The cast-off heads of the caterpillars at first struck me as a morbid sight, until it struck me how very fitting a picture this was of our new birth in Christ. Scripture tells us that the old is gone, the new is here. But how often do I, like the reluctant caterpillar, try to keep on my old head with all its worldly wisdom. Transformation is frightening. What if I shan’t recognize myself? Surely, we are apt to think, we ought not be too extreme and risk putting people off. But extreme change is what the Lord has intended for us. We are to become creatures fit for His eternal Kingdom, and for that, our old ways of thinking, feeling, and operating simply won’t do.
Perhaps the call to become a new creation feels daunting. Well, of course it does! It’s a work none of us could ever do for ourselves. But praise be to God, the work has been done when Christ rose from the tomb, the first fruits of the new creation. He gives us that new creation life when we give him one simple thing in return: a spirit willing to be transformed.
Prayer
Christ, thank you for setting in motion the new creation when you rose from the dead. Help me not to fear the transforming power of your Spirit, but to willingly allow you to make me into the Christ-like creature you always intended me to be.
Application
Let go of your old ways of thinking and let Christ transform you.
Related Reading
John 3:3; Ephesians 4:17-24; Matthew 16:24; Romans 12:2
Worship Resource
Paul Zach: Take My Life and Let it Be
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